Animal Control Officer Rappels 100 Feet To Rescue 10 Week Old German Shepherd Puppy

San Diego County Animal Control Officers were called to a ravine located in Pauma Valley. They heard a pup whimpering from below. The dog had fallen into the ravine and was clinging to a large bush.

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The poor pup’s cries could be heard from the top of the ravine. The rescue would be tricky thanks to the steep incline of the terrain. Animal Control Officer Denise Gove, who is also a member of the San Diego County Animal Response Team, was called out to help get the small German shepherd up safely. SDCART is made up of trained volunteers and animal control officers.

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“I called Denise and explained the situation. She expressed that she has been trained in rappelling and was eager to respond,” said Lt. Loren Bunnell, who took the original call from dispatch. “I really didn’t realize the enormity of the situation until I saw the photos afterwards.”
The ravine is estimated to be about 200 feet from edge to the bottom. Luckily for the puppy, a large bush 100 feet down broke her fall.
“The puppy clung onto that bush until Officer Gove dropped from the sky to rescue her,” Bunnell said.

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Bunnell said the puppy would not have survived if she had fallen to the bottom of the rocky ravine.
The 10-week old German Shepherd pup is considered a stray and is doing just fine at the County’s animal care facility in Carlsbad. She will be available for adoption July 15. For anyone interested in adopting the ravine puppy, her animal ID is #1728061.
Special thanks to Melissa Phy and San Diego County Communications Office

In all, 156 dogs came into the shelters between 9 p.m. July 4 and the evening of July 7. The animal care facility at Gaines Street in San Diego took in 60 dogs, the one in Carlsbad received 13 and the shelter in Bonita saw 83. Many were claimed, a few were transferred to the appropriate jurisdictions but on Wednesday, 57 dogs remained.

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